Pipeline priorities
As the busy festive period continues, it is more important than ever to follow the principles of our pipeline priorities.
For all Royal Mail drivers, busy delivering Christmas for our customers, it is vital you do everything you can to ensure you are fit to drive.
We are committed to reducing collisions involving Royal Mail vehicles and ensuring all colleagues who drive for us do so safely.
Fatigue is just one example of being unfit to drive; others include driving or attempting to drive while under the influence of drink or drugs. Alcohol, illegal and recreational drugs along with some prescribed medication and over-the-counter cold remedies affect your physical and mental ability to drive safely.
Drink driving is still one of the biggest killers on our roads with more than 3,000 people being killed or seriously injured in drink-related road traffic collisions every year. In August this year, the Department for Transport published their latest statistics for drink-related crashes in the UK. The numbers show that drink-driving deaths and injuries are at their highest level since 2012 and that there has been an estimated increase in the number of road deaths, the number of injuries, and the total number of crashes relating to at least one driver being over the alcohol limit.
Consumption of alcohol, even if it’s below the legal drink drive limit, can exacerbate tiredness and impair driving. It is vital for all colleagues to always be mindful of what you have consumed before you drive. It’s important to be aware of the impact of alcohol consumption – particularly because the effects can still be present the morning after. Royal Mail has a zero-tolerance approach to alcohol and drugs at work.
To help ensure we all deliver safely, it’s important that all our drivers keep our top festive tips in mind:
- Don’t ruin your own and other people’s lives by driving while tired or unfit to drive
- Drive safely and efficiently at all times
- Work to your duty times to make sure the mail arrives on time
- Return all containers to be re-used across the pipeline
- Complete all your vehicle checks to make sure vehicles stay on the road.
